A tenant has been organising with SolFed after deposit deductions were made from their
joint-tenancy deposit, despite the fact they left the property in a clean condition. The
deductions were unreasonable, not properly costed and, on top of this, service from the
agency was poor throughout her tenancy. This even included not being provided keys to the
property on moving in. ---- Brand Vaughan's response to the demands for £390 to be
returned from the deposit, and for £541 compensation, has included making legal threats,
as well as claiming that the problems with the tenancy were not their responsibility. The
landlord of the property is in-fact Tom Ghibaldan, chief executive of Brand Vaughan.
Deposit deductions claimed by Brand Vaughan were in the service of their own chief executive.

Mr Ghibaldan's staff profile on Brand Vaughan's website claims that the agency have a
"strong emphasis on excellent customer service," when in this case the tenant was treated
appallingly. The tenant suffered terrible service during their tenancy. Her concerns about
feeling unsafe in the property were not adequately addressed, and correspondence was
ignored. The agency even charged for visits to the property, when they eventually
attempted to acknowledge the problems the tenant had raised. So far, the agency have
chosen to belittle and ignore the tenant's reasonable demands.

Tom Ghibaldan continues holding on to the money which has been taken, and has as yet
failed to acknowledge the responsibility Brand Vaughan has to the tenant. The public
campaign thus continues apace. Agents and landlords need to realise that they cannot take
money from tenants in this way and hope to get away with it, and must compensate tenants
who suffer distress through their poor practices.